Free Hallmark Cards and More

Get a Free Mother's Day Card from Hallmark online: Use code CARD4MOM to get a free 5X7 paper card you can personalize and even have mailed for free

(Use code APRILCARD to get another Free Hallmark Card of your choice!)


Sign up to become a myStoneyfield community member and fill out the form for a Free One Year Subscription to Organic Gardening Magazine from Stoneyfield Farm.


Get a Free Sample of Nivea Touch of Happiness Body Wash from Walmart.com


Use the code LUCKY at Restaurant.com to receive an additional 80% off their already discounted gift certificates


photo: bies, sxc.hu

How to Calculate Take Home Pay After Taxes

Want to know how much you'll really be earning from that new job? You could try to calculate your take home pay after taxes using the ol' noggin, or you could be really smart about it and use a free online calculator to figure it out for you.

Some of the best I've found are provided by PaycheckCity.com . You can use the basic calculators without registering with the site, or use the professional calculators with registration. Whichever you decide, they are all free to use.

Not only can you calculate your take home pay after taxes, but you can get free help with your W-4 and more.

You'll need to enter some basic tax info, such as your filing status, number of allowances you're claiming etc. It's nice that you can play around with the info too, so you can see what difference it would make if you claimed fewer allowances, etc.

So while you may never find out who that FICA character is that's taking all your money, at least you can get a realistic idea of what your take home pay will be.

photo: djayo, sxc.hu

Free Stuff for Your Pets

Pets like Freebies too!

Get your dog a free sample Smokey Bacon-Flavored Better Than Ears Treat from Walmart.com

Get your cat a Free Can of Petite Cuisine Cat Food on their birthday

Take your pets to the PetSmart Pet Birthday Party April 21, 6-8pm and get a Free Goodie Bag and Free Digital Photo with Frame

Get a Free 8 X 10 Photo from Canon . Use "Try MyPhoto", a free service from Canon where they will print an 8 X 10 of your image using the printer you select and mail it to you for free. Okay, so this doesn't have to be used for your pet's photo - but I recommend it.

Do You Swap & Barter?

I have to say I'm loving this new "old" idea of swapping and bartering as a way to get goods and services. Remember watching Little House on The Prairie and seeing Ma Ingalls trading eggs for goods at the Oleson Mercantile? Well, that practice of using alternative items in place of money as a way to buy stuff seems to be making a strong comeback.

I don't think places such as Walmart will be jumping on the swap train anytime soon, but several smaller businesses are using this practice. I've seen businesses trading with other businesses as well as with consumers. A recent browse through the Craigslist barter section revealed several ads with titles such as "Auto Repair for ?", "Trade Home Remodel for Web Site Building Skills", "Graphic Sign Work in Exchange for T-Shirt Press", and so on.

Even more popular is the trading going on between everyday people. I recently traded some used Elmo character Christmas lights for postage stamps. The possibilities are endless. My junk for your junk - what could be better? Plus, this is a great way to recycle. I even started following a blog I stumbled across: The Craigslist Experiment where a guy is using an item he found for free on Craigslist and is bartering his way up to bigger and better items. You go Trevor!

Besides Craigslist, there are several web sites popping up that help people wanting to exchange goods. You can find several sites discussed in this article: How to Barter. Another way to trade stuff is the Swap Party . A way to get free stuff and party? I'm there!

Entire communities are getting involved. You can use the website Meetup.com to look for a Clothing Swap Meetup Group near you. Search this site for other kinds of Swap Groups, or look in your local community newspaper for swap events.

Having trouble selling your home? Swap it! People are swapping homes, cars, boats, RVs and more on sites such as GoSwap.org . Now, that's serious swapping.

So do any of you Swap & Barter? I'd love to hear about it.

Free Audio Books for Kids & Free Online Books for Everyone

Enjoy these Free Audio Books for Kids online from AudibleKids. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "Free Downloads for Children's Literacy".

For everyone, here's a Free Audio Book of Marley and Me from Audible.com

Find hundreds (or maybe thousands - I haven't counted) of free online books to read for kids and adults from several sources listed in my article How to Find Books And Novels To Read Online For Free . Many of these are available to read online, while others are available in audio formats and podcasts.

Several of these are classics, but they are called "classic" for a reason. What better time than Spring to read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

There are books available by lesser known authors as well. Who knows, maybe you'll discover a new favorite writer.

Well, I'm off to find some reading material. So many free books, so little time.

photo: lusi, stock.xchng

April 1st Free Stuff Finds

It may be April Fools Day, but this free stuff is the real deal:

Several freebies from Walmart

Each week in April if you are one of the first 10,000 people to take the Earthbound Farms Earth Day Pledge, you'll receive a free reusable shopping tote

Get free samples of shampoo including Aveeno Nourish and Dove New Therapy System Hair Care

So don't be a fool - hurry and sign up for these great free offers!